The campaign to stop asset sales is still on despite legislation scraping through Parliament last month to allow the government to sell off 49% of Mighty River Power, Genesis, Meridian and Solid Energy.
There is widespread opposition to asset sales and the petition to force a referendum on asset sales is gaining momentum.
There is still a long way to go, though, to gather at least 310,000 signatures.
PSA has joined the Council of Trade Unions in supporting this Grey Power-led initiative and is calling on all members to help gather as many signatures as possible over the coming months.
A referendum may be enough to stop future sales of state assets or cause the government to rethink its current asset sales programme.
NOTE: Some people become confused when they first see the petition form and think they are being asked to sign in support of asset sales. As the small type above the question , says, they are petitioning for "an indicative
referendum" on the question.
What you can do
• Download the petition here
• Approach everyone you know to sign the petition – work colleagues, friends and family.
• Organise weekend petition stalls in your community – whatever it takes.
• Return the petition to the name and address listed on the forms.
NOTE: Please do not print double-sided copies or change the size or style of the form as they will be counted as invalid.
Who can sign the petition?
You have to be on the electoral roll. You can check, or enrol, on elections.govt.nz. Or at any post office.
Why selling off our power companies and Air New Zealand is a bad idea
• They are our richest assets and bring in a lot of revenue that helps pay off government debt
• If they are sold, the profits will disappear offshore (the “Kiwi mums and dads” line is spin)
• Majority government ownership is a myth – there’s no limit to the sale of dividend-collecting shares
• There will be less accountability; the public won’t have the same access to information
• There will be nothing to stop hydro dams falling into 100% foreign ownership
• Privatisation will push power prices up
• Air NZ failed when it was privatised in the 1990s. It had to be bought back into public ownership, at great cost to taxpayers. (Exactly the same happened with Rail)
• The 49% sell-off is the first step to full privatisation.
Take action now
What are you waiting for? Download the petition and start collecting signatures today so we can keep our assets!